his name is miracle.

This picture kills me. His little hoof! There's nothing left to say! Except that I have the best news to share. We have a full blown walker. A jumper. A sideways hopper. Last Monday night my sister was putting her three very sad girls to bed, and they were devastated that Little Love was going to be put down. Annika texted me and said, "Svea says if the lamb can ever walk it's name should be Miracle." And then on Tuesday morning Ivar said the same thing. And at that moment it definitely felt that way. There was just no chance. It would be a miracle if his legs could ever bear weight.

In a super cool twist, our sermon that Sunday had been on different spiritual gifts and one of our pastors shared that in order to see a miracle, you have to be in a position where you need a miracle. And most of us don't actually ever want to be in that position. It's a dire place to be.

Rory and I talked about that line of the sermon at 5 am on Monday morning, watching the Mama Ewe fight for her life. We were in the position of needing a miracle and it was terrifying. And then with Little Love. We needed a miracle, and it didn't feel very likely.

But here he is. With a crooked neck and a front left leg that bows way out, our Little Love now walks all around. Especially once we figured out we could wrap a second diaper around his mid section. This leaves him fully diapered so he now walks around our living room. He follows Rory and is very sad to be left alone. He's become a pet, definitely. We love him so much.

And now his name is Miracle. It's doesn't quiet roll of the tongue but I like that every time we call for him we will remember what we have seen. And when we call to him he will joyfully remind us of his troubled legs, now sufficiently working, as he bounds sideways, sometimes backwards, once in a while forward, so excited to get to us and nuzzle his head into us for some love and affection.

5 comments:

Oh My Goodness Groves Family! This is incredible! I have been following along and am so in awe of this story and of your family.You all are such a gift in this challenging world. I adore your sister in law's music which is how I found your blog and the Grovestead and I am one of yall's biggest fans!

Little Love Miracle is so precious and I am so thankful that he overcame and that his mom is doing well! I have a friend who has a sheep farm in Ft. Payne, AL called Sweet Seasons Farm and she tells me that if the baby doesn't bond with it's mom within minutes, it may bond with whom or whatever are close by! It looks like Little Love Miracle is adequately bonded to your whole family! I hope that you will share about the plan for him. Will he remain a pet or will he eventually go out to his twin and mom?I breed Golden Retrievers so I find all of this so fascinating!

Also.... I loved your post It's Not Okay. I work full time for the youth ministry Young Life. I actually printed your note to young girls that was in that blog and gave a copy to all 25 of my 8th grade Campaigner (Bible Study) girls on Friday morning. We are talking about purity and going into high school and what they are about to face etc.. and your words were PERFECT for them!Thank you for blogging and be encouraged that the Lord is using you in mighty ways all the way down here in Alabama!!

Susie, how fun to have you drop a line. I love Sara's music too...she's the real deal!

And thank so much for telling me about the It's Not Okay post. I am so encouraged to hear you say this because after I wrote it I deleted the last half. But I felt so impressed to go back an put it back in there. I really felt like there were girls who needed to hear what I was saying about high standards and keeping the bar raised because of ALL that it affects in your future decades. So it's fun to hear that your Young Life girls may have been the very one's God was speaking to!

I'll keep you posted on Miracle. We just got off the phone with the vet and she said to reintroduce him to his mother and see how it goes. So now that's our plan on this Monday evening! I hope it does go well. I will miss him in the house, but it would be best if his Ewe mom was his actual mom. :)Joyfully,Becca

Oh my goodness!!! That is crazy that you deleted the last half! It was so impactful! I am so grateful that you put it back! I copied and pasted the portion starting with "Let me tell you this young women... and all the rest until the end! I did it in a cute colored font and the title was "Words of Wisdom by Becca Groves" As I passed it around to the girls I told them about your life on the farm and even shared about Miracle! All girls need to hear that they are worth the wait and that they must keep that bar high! I am so grateful that your wisdom has trickled down to my girls! I lead the 7th and 6th grade girls as well and they will receive your wonderful thoughts as they prepare to enter high school!! My daughter is 30 and her story so reminds me of yours (Not dating, wondering , etc... ) she is getting married in a month! God is faithful! I shared your words with her and she LOVED them!! So please know that the Lord knew what He was doing when He impressed on you to add that part!! Thanks so much for responding ! Please keep those photos coming!

When I was a little girl -- probably around 5 years old -- my friend Maria's little lamb was lost. He was no where to be found. Of course, there were lots of dogs, coyotes and foxes around. I don't think any of the adults expected to see the lamb again. Then, a night or two later, we were over eating dinner at my grandparents. Their house was a mile across town, and one had to cross the Clark Fork River (only one bridge) to get there. We were praying for dinner, and I had asked to pray that Maria's lamb would be found. We looked up when we finished praying, and there, running outside the window, was Maria's lamb. It was a miracle if I have ever witnessed a miracle.

At such a young age, it taught me that God hears our prayers and answers them. I'm certain He is using this little lamb to teach your children amazing things about His faithfulness. Thank you for sharing Miracle's story with us on your blog!

Callie, this story is incredible!!! I'm going to read it to my family in the morning. Just think of what this moment did in your young heart, praying for the miracle and then seeing it with your own eyes. What a joy. Thank you so much for sharing this story!!!Joyfully,Becca